A former NFL linebacker has been charged with embezzling loan proceeds from two commercial real estate projects in Virginia and North Carolina, allegedly helping himself to Rolex watches and paying off personal debts with the funds.
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C.A. Harrison Cos. founder Chris Harrison is accused of misappropriating $14.5M from the Model Tobacco project in Richmond, Virginia, and $7.7M from the Whitaker Park project in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, according to a grand jury indictment announced Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The developer is being charged with wire and mail fraud, engaging in monetary transactions with criminally derived property, and aggravated identity theft. Harrison could face decades in prison if found guilty on all charges.
Under the loan terms, Harrison wasn't supposed to pay himself or affiliated entities “any construction, management, development or contractor fees” from the proceeds.
But Harrison allegedly skimmed loan proceeds by creating a straw demolition company, Virginia Demolition LLC, and falsifying and forging documentation to show that the company worked on both projects.
The embezzled funds were used to purchase luxury goods, including more than $60K in Rolex watches, and pay off personal debts and legal fees associated with the Petersburg Ramada Inn in Virginia, where Harrison faced a lawsuit involving proposed renovations, according to the indictment. He sold the property in 2022.
Harrison also allegedly used ill-gotten funds to pay his home mortgage and cover personal landscaping costs and tutoring fees for his child, according to the DOJ announcement.
Harrison was an offensive lineman for the University of Virginia and went on to play for the Detroit Lions before retiring in 2000. After he retired, Harrison began a commercial real estate career focused on redeveloping and restoring historic properties, according to his website.
In 2014, he opened his first multibuilding project, Plant 64, a 242-unit apartment complex in Winston-Salem, the Triad Business Journal reported. Harrison purchased the five properties in 2013 for just under $7M.
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